Should You Drink Your Greens?

Powdered greens have been making headway for years. They are not only showing up on health market shelves but in doctor’s offices worldwide.

Let’s be honest, we want a quick fix. That simple pill, supplement, or the next latest and greatest fad diet. We want health but we want it at the snap of a finger and I’m right there with you.

So lets talk more about greens. Are they the answer? That simple quick fix that could lead us all down a path of lasting health or are they harming us more than helping?

The Verdict:

It depends.

Really, that’s it?

Let me explain.

Green powders can be very beneficial but it all boils down to quality. The ingredients or should I say quality of ingredients, how they are handled and processed and honestly even how they are stored.

It matters, it all matters.

When this is done in the correct manner with the correct system they can be very beneficial to the body.

The benefits:

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that green foods (specifically vegetables) are healthy. Most parents from the time we were wee little babies have been fighting the good fight to get us to eat these super foods, yet even as adults we fail to meet the recommended requirements of 10-12 servings of vegetables a day.

The average American only gets 1 serving.

Ouch.

The list of benefits that greens provide is too numerous to list. But by flooding our body with extra nutrients and phytochemicals we know that our body is better able to communicate and function at its best because it has the nutrients, the life-blood to do so.

Whole greens verses green powders:

While none of us can deny the exponential health benefits of vegetables the reality is we just aren’t getting enough.

While there is no true and exact replication of a carrot or a heaping bowl of spinach we do know we have found other ways to supplement the diet of these critical nutrients, that being green powders.

Supplemental Greens:

This is important to note that while supplemental greens can be highly valuable to your health, they are in no way, shape or form a replacement to wholesome, garden fresh veggies. They just can’t compete and hence why we call them a supplement.

Or in better words an addition to an already healthy or you best be working on a healthier diet.

With that I would say that no matter how healthy you are, even if you’ve reached your full nutrition expert, guru, crunchy potential there is still nothing wrong with a good dose of nutrients.

Our body craves nutrients, it needs them and lives off of them. Without proper nutrients our bodies simply can’t achieve health, weight loss or a life free of disease. It can’t happen. So my take, drink away. Take these greens as an additional source of nutrients, a boost of healthy energy and lasting vibrancy.

Absolutely DON’T…

Think that these can be taken as a cop-out? Think again.

You can’t grab a big-mac meal or a slice of pizza and Doritos and think that by taking your greens you’re going to ever achieve lasting health and weight loss. Unfortunately there is more to the story than this. Health is build on real food, not on supplementation to a crappy diet.

Too harsh? Sorry but that is the grim reality.

Nothing can replace a healthy diet but green powders can be a great addition to anyone’s diet to get the ball moving in the right direction.

Now let’s get back to the harmful part.

Can greens be harmful to our health?

Sure, I mean everyone’s body is different and has a different reaction to food. But in general almost everyone can benefit from an extra dose of greens.

With that said, not all greens are created equal. In fact, most are horrendous for our bodies and could be doing more harm than good. And if they are good, well they don’t taste good which makes it hard to be compliant to such a good thing.

I mean who has ever had the privilege of experiencing wheat grass?

Can we say disgusting?

This makes things tricky. Most of the time, the good tasting greens, the popular ones are loaded with unhealthy ingredients to either give it some flavor and or process them cheaply.

So the challenge becomes finding the perfect equation of quality ingredients with a decent or palatable flavor. Something you can literally suck down day in and out.

The good news:

There are options on the market. If you do you research right and the cards align perfectly you can find the perfect winning occasion.

Here are some things to factor into that equation.

The greens must be organic, vegan (yes many greens powders contain shellfish), kid-approved, soy-free, gluten-free, no preservatives, no artificial sweeteners, non-GMO, raw and manufactured to the highest standards. In short, it must be alive and free of all added ingredients.

Now good luck!

My suggestion:

No, I’m not going to leave you hanging.

In conclusion I have done my research for you. In fact, I have looked high and low and for many years for a product like that one I am going to recommend. In fact, my standards and expectations were so high the hubs had me convinced like a good man, that I would never find something and that I should just lower my standards.

Not giving in I have found what I have patiently (or impatiently) been waiting for.

There is only one company that I have tried that I can honestly stand behind. I’ve tried numerous ones and I’d be happy to take a look at what you are currently using, but I think you can trust that I haven’t found anything to compare to the greens you can buy here. The best part? You can sign up to get these things shipped to you monthly for a big discount. What better way to motivate you to take your greens than knowing you’ll have a new bottle showing up in a few short weeks? Or they even have a Greens Package where if you buy 4 bottles you get one free!

My recommendations for usage:

Again, while this is like a small miracle that I actually have found something to endorse I do also want to take note in all of my nutrition and food nerdiness that you please use these as a supplement and not an excuse.

Make sure that you are still working and striving to eat as many vegetables as possible throughout the day, still focusing always on quality, wholesome real foods, grown from the earth.

And now that we are clear that these are not to be used in conjunction with your soda pop or bag of chips you are free to try them out and watch as you slowly fall in love with something you never thought possible.

Pinch yourself, this is not a dream.

As a side-note:

My kids eat them like fun-dips and that is slightly embarrassing that they are so sheltered but pretty sweet that they literally eat the greens like fun-dip.

What is even happening?!?

Have a Green Phobia?

If you are thinking there is absolutely no way, no how that you are going to be drinking something this color, then check out these green caps and get all of the benefits of taking these greens, in an easy-to-take capsule which you can also buy here.

only one day

to reset your hormones

About Alexa

Alexa is a Nutritionist currently pursuing her Masters degree in Public Health. She specializes in helping her clients to see the whole picture of health and wellness and enjoys developing healthy grain free recipes and writing about various health topics. She lives in a cornfield in Iowa with her husband Payton and their three daughters, Ava, Addie and Auden.